The Mirror of Her Dreams: Volume I of Mordant's Need

The daughter of rich but neglectful parents, Terisa Morgan lives alone in a New York City apartment, a young woman who has grown to doubt her own existence. Surrounded by the flat reassurance of mirrors, she leads an unfulfilled life - until the night a strange man named Geraden comes crashing through one of her mirrors, on a quest to find a champion to save his kingdom of Mordant from a pervasive evil that threatens the land.

The Real Story: The Gap into Conflict: The Gap Cycle, Book 1

Author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, one of the most acclaimed fantasy series of all time, master storyteller Stephen R. Donaldson returns with this exciting and long-awaited new series that takes us into a stunningly imagined future to tell a timeless story of adventure and the implacable conflict of good and evil within each of us.

The Runes of the Earth: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Convenant

Since their publication more than two decades ago, the initial six books in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series have sold more than six million copies and have been published in 10 countries around the world. Now, starting with The Runes of the Earth, Stephen R. Donaldson returns with a quartet of new Covenant novels that are certain to satisfy his millions of fans, and attract countless new followers.

The King's Justice: Two Novellas

In The King's Justice, a stranger dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle's Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He even calls himself "Black", though almost certainly that is not his name. The people of the village discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with this stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands.

To Green Angel Tower: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book 3

The evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King are beginning their final preparations for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, drawing King Elias ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world. As the Storm King's power grows and the boundaries of time begin to blur, the loyal allies of Prince Josua struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell.

Paths of Alir: A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 3

Powerful beings from the fringes of Chaos have come to the realm of Alorin. Fate bends to their will, and their will is set upon Alorin's destruction. Alone in understanding the threat they pose, Alorin's Fifth Vestal, Björn val Gelderan, has launched a desperate plan to stop them: a "great game" played upon the tapestry of mortal life. Now, in Paths of Alir, Björn's Players have taken the field.

The Riddle-Master of Hed: Riddle-Master Trilogy, Book 1

Long ago, the wizards had vanished from the world, and all knowledge was left hidden in riddles. Morgon, prince of the simple farmers of Hed, proved himself a master of such riddles when he staked his life to win a crown from the dead Lord of Aum.But now ancient, evil forces were threatening him. Shape changers began replacing friends until no man could be trusted. So Morgon was forced to flee to hostile kingdoms, seeking the High One who ruled from mysterious Erlenstar Mountain.Beside him went Deth, the High One's Harper. Ahead lay strange encounters and terrifying adventures.

Nine Princes in Amber: The Chronicles of Amber, Book 1

Amber is the one real world, of which all others including our own Earth are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin's blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne.

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, Book 1

When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But for Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems. The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, leading him to the gates of the nation's royal academy - a whole world of secrets in itself. But this is only the beginning of his discoveries.

Closer to the Chest: The Herald Spy, Book Three

Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar's Herald-Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn. In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe.

The Sorcerer's Daughter: The Defenders of Shannara

The inspiration for the epic MTV series, the world of Shannara is brimming with untold stories and unexplored territory. Now best-selling author Terry Brooks breaks new ground with a standalone adventure that's sure to thrill veteran audiences and recent converts alike.

Cast in Flight: Chronicles of Elantra, Book 12

Private Kaylin Neya already has Dragons and Barrani as roommates. Adding one injured, flightless Aerian to her household should be trivial. Sure, the Aerian is Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, but Kaylin's own sergeant is a Leontine, the definition of growly and fanged. She can handle one Aerian. But when a walk to the Halls of Law becomes a street-shattering magical assassination attempt on the sergeant, Kaylin discovers that it's not the guest who's going to be the problem.

The Dragonbone Chair: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book One

A war fueled by the dark powers of sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of Osten Ard - for Prester John, the High King, slayer of the dread dragon Shurakai, lies dying. And with his death, an ancient evil will at last be unleashed, as the Storm King, undead ruler of the elvishlike Siti, seeks to regain his lost realm through a pact with one of human royal blood. Then, driven by spell-inspired jealousy and hate, prince will fight prince, while around them the very land begins to die.

The Last Tribe

Fourteen-year-old Greg Dixon is living a nightmare. Attending boarding school outside of Boston, he is separated from his family when a pandemic strikes. His classmates and teachers are dead, rotting in a dormitory-turned-morgue steps from his room. The nights are getting colder, and his food has run out. The last message from his father is to get away from the city and to meet at his grandparents' town in remote New Hampshire.

The Dagger of Adendigaeth: A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 2

At long last, the reason for the blessed Adept race's decline has been discovered: powerful beings known as Malorin'athgul are disrupting the Balance and preventing Alorin's Adepts from awakening to their gifts. Who are they? Where are they? And how can they be stopped when they wield a power meant to unmake the universe itself? In T'khendar, Prince Ean val Lorian has forsaken his companions in blood and battle to join the traitorous Fifth Vestal in T'khendar in the hopes of gaining some insight into the tragedies that plagued his return.

Pawn of Prophecy: The Belgariad, Book 1

Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil god Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgrath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe. That was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the man without a shadow had haunted him for years.

The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel

In this prequel to The Sword of Shannara, in which many details of the Four Lands' history are revealed, Druids, horrified by the misuse of magic, have eschewed it in favor of science. But Bremen the Druid studies magic, and becomes an outcast on its account. Bremen discovers that an invincible army of trolls are fast conquering all that lay to their south. Before them come the Nazgul-like Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who have fallen prey to the dark arts.

Elite: The Hunter Series, Book 2

Hunting monsters was supposed to be the hard part. When Joy came to Apex City, all she cared about was protecting the Cits from the dangers lurking outside protective barriers. She understood the need for the secrecy surrounding her hunts - no need to cause a panic by announcing just how real of a threat the Othersiders pose. But as she quickly discovered, the conspiracies of the city run much deeper. And a dangerous new covert mission leaves Joy with a target on her back once more.

The Cycle of Arawn: The Complete Trilogy

The White Tree (book one): In Mallon the dark magic of the nether has been banned for centuries. Its users have been driven out or killed. Its secrets lost. But the holy book of the nethermancers has just been found by a boy named Dante. As he works to unlock the book's power, he's attacked in the street. The nethermancers aren't gone—and they want their book back. Caught between death cultists and the law, Dante fights for his life, aided by his growing skills and a brash bodyguard named Blays.

The Summer Tree: The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1

The Summer Tree is the first novel of Guy Gavriel Kay's critically acclaimed fantasy trilogy, The Fionavar Tapestry. Five university students embark on a journey of self-discovery when they enter a realm of wizards and warriors, gods and mythical creatures - and good and evil...

Ascendant's Rite: The Moontide Quartet, Book 4

The last few months of the moontide - when the bridge connecting East and West rises above the sea - has come, and in the West Emperor Constant prepares the final phase of his plan to conquer the East.....

City of Golden Shadow: Otherland, Book 1

Surrounded by secrecy, it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. Incredible amounts of money have been lavished on it. The best minds of two generations have labored to build it. And somehow, bit by bit, it is claiming the Earth's most valuable resource - its children.

Daughter of the Forest: Sevenwaters, Book 1

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives and they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift - by staying silent.

The Naked God: Night's Dawn Trilogy, Book 3

Quinn Dexter is loose on Earth, destroying the giant arcologies one at a time. As Louise Kavanagh tries to track him down, she manages to acquire some strange and powerful allies whose goal doesn't quite match her own. The campaign to liberate Mortonridge from the possessed degenerates into a horrendous land battle, the kind that hasn't been seen by humankind for 600 years; then some of the protagonists escape in a very unexpected direction.

Publisher's Summary

In The Mirror of Her Dreams, the dazzling first volume of Mordant’s Need, New York Times best-selling author Stephen R. Donaldson introduced us to the richly imagined world of Mordant, where mirrors are magical portals into places of beauty and terror. Now, with A Man Rides Through, Donaldson brings the story of Terisa Morgan to an unforgettable conclusion.

Aided by the powerful magic of Vagel, the evil Arch-Imager, the merciless armies are marching against the kingdom of Mordant. In its hour of greatest need, two unlikely champions emerge. One is Geraden, whose inability to master the simplest skills of Imagery has made him a laughingstock. The other is Terisa Morgan, transferred to Mordant from a Manhattan apartment by Geraden’s faulty magic. Together, Geraden and Terisa discover undreamed-of talents within themselves—talents that make them more than a match for any Imager... including Vagel himself.

Unfortunately, those talents also mark them for death. Branded as traitors, they are forced to flee the castle for their lives. Now all but defenseless in a war-torn countryside ravaged by the vilest horrors Imagery can spawn, Geraden and Terisa must put aside past failures and find the courage to embrace their powers—and their love—before Vagel can spring his final trap.

PLEASE NOTE: A Man Rides Through: Volume II of Mordant's Need opens with Book Three, as it continues the story begun in The Mirror of Her Dreams: Volume I of Mordant's Need.

Yes...to catch all the little things ....it is so interesting and entertaining. Several points in this second part....I cried. It was so moving...and not always in a good way...sorrow...pain...betrayal...self doubt...

What other book might you compare A Man Rides Through to and why?

Wow...hard one. I would have to say....Terry Goodkind series The sword of Truth...just not so many in a series and sweeter...not so depressing. Good VS Evil....Self discovery and the awkardness of a sexual pull to someone who is not good for you....and pulling away before you do something to hate yourself over!!

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have read the books...I actually own the books...I actually own all books that I buy with Audio...because If I really love a book...I want to also listen to it. The Auditor Scott Brick brings a deeper character to the book. He makes the People in the book come alive and has me review the way I was picturing them because of the nuance in the voices of the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

It was well worth the credit....but you have to get the first one Mirror of Her dreams or this one will not make sense....It make the story line flow with out a great repeat of what happened in the first book.

I have reread these two books since 1990 every other year and find I love them as much each time. I give them as gifts too and always receive a big thank you in appreciation for taking each person into this land of mystery and magical. I recommend these books to any and all of you who crave fantasy and romance.

I had bought the Mirror in Her Dreams so many years ago I can't remember, and it sat in my book case and I never read it. Once the books came out in audible I listen to them and kicked myself for not reading it way back when. I am a big fan of Stephen R. Donaldson and am very glad that I listened to this story. Very imaginative, like my review in the first book I would have like to see the two main characters have more fight in them. But in the end they kicked butt.

I really wish they would hurry up and put Thomas Covenant first two adventures in Audible, I don't want to listen to the last three books until I can listen to them.

[This is a copy of my review of the first book, The Mirror of Her Dreams.]

This pair of books are the most captivating that the author ever wrote. I absolutely recommend this book and it's sequel for anyone who enjoys fantasy novels. I think very highly of the first Covenant series, but for purely enjoyable story telling this is his best.

First things first- this book has a lot going on. The main character is involved in lots of plots and sub-plots and had many very interesting interactions with many vivid characters. The book is a fantasy/mystery. The climax is absolutely great.

My only real complaint about Donaldson is that his characters are so damned frustrating. In other books, after restating every problem a hundred times they often do little or do something weird or simply wait for someone else to do something. This book has some of that, but I believe that he handles it much better than in the Covenant novels. As I said, there is a lot going on and many times the character has good reason not to act.

Unfortunately the reader is the patron saint of frustrated narration and I think he was a terrible choice for any Donaldson novel. Technically he's is very good reader, but for my money he was a bad choice here.

If you're not familiar with the genre of Fantasy, images of hobbits, dwarves, elves, dragons, wizards etc probably come to mind. So if all of that stuff makes you roll your eyes at the thought of such childishness, Stephen Donaldson's "The Mirror of her Dreams" books might be the perfect place to see that there are writers out there who can write original and compelling Fantasy miles away from the cliched and juvenile "classics" of the genre.My first experience with Fantasy was being forced to read The Hobbit in high school English, and that would have put me off the genre for life had a friend not handed me a copy of the first book in Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" series a few years after that. That book both gave me an appreciation for the genre but also by its sheer brilliance and originality left me finding most other Fantasy boring, cliched and juvenile. Possibly it is because the Thomas Covenant books, and the book I am reviewing now, "A Man Rides Through" begin in the "real world" before heading off into the realms of the fantastic, that more conventional fantasy doesn't do it for me (well, rarely anyway). But more importantly, it is the characters Donaldson creates that make his writing so original and compelling. His characters are SO flawed, messed up and often sociopathically crazy and morally ambiguous that the cardboard cutouts in other fantasy books read like cartoon characters.A Man Rides Through is the second and final part of a story called Mordant's Need. Terisa Morgan, daughter of rich American socialites is a shrinking violet so low in self esteem she surrounds herself with mirrors to prove to herself she exists. One night, a klutz of a young magician simply slides out of one of her mirrors and she finds herself translated to his world, a medieval kingdom where the king seems to have gone mad and the kingdom crumbles around him as he locks himself away to play "hop board" , which is a game identical to Chess, with his even madder closest confidante. The plot is too complex to summarise quickly but if you think of a strange brew of House of Cards crossed with The Madness of King George and throw in some magic (which operates by translating images from flat and curved mirrors) that will suffice, for it is the characters and not the plot that makes Donaldson's books so great.Donaldson loves to cast characters at both ends of the spectrum - from stoically strong to pathetically weak, resolutely strong of mind and will to antisocially crazy and evil.Mad King Joyce. Even madder Adept Havelock - who is driven mad when he is translated through a mirror he should not have entered, and is also the chief strategist behind the "defence" of the crumbling kingdom. Castellan Lebbick - whose decent into violence and insanity is the result of his unflinching loyalty to the king and the memory of the brutal mass rape of his wife and is the last person in authority to continue trusting The King. Master Eremis - a cunning sociopath bent on manipulating events to overthrow the King. The Tor - a fat, drunken lord who comes to the King seeking justice for his dead son who was killed in the Kings name but is left abandoned and questioning his continued loyalty. Prince Kragen, who is a lifelong enemy of the King but decides that this mad King may actually be worth forming an alliance with as events move forward.And then there are the "heroes" Terisa & Geraden, who as in many Donaldson tales are often the least likeable characters as they battle their confusion, fear, self doubt and self hate. No one does anti-hero better than Donaldson. The only caveat I would mention is that I am not a fan of any of Donaldson's major female characters throughout his books - he seems to have a predilection for creating weak and demure females - and while often they find their way to some inner strength later in the story, I can see why some people object to his portrayal of females, especially female leads.Highly recommended if you are interested in seeing what a master of the genre can do without needing to trot out the cliches and stereotypes that most fantasy finds itself mired in.

Narration - previously I've never understood the hype around Scott Brick - but his performance is nigh on perfect and nails Donaldson's tone and style. I read the traditional print format for the first book of this series, but the audiobook of the second, this book, kept me in its spell for the entire week or so it took me to get through it.